Wisconsin · Big TenDarrion Dupree answers drop in Wisconsin’s Penn State upset
Dupree’s fourth-quarter contribution helped Wisconsin win 24–20 at Penn State on Sept. 26, with Michigan State next.
OCT 2, 2026
Darrion Dupree answered a dropped pass with a significant fourth-quarter contribution in Wisconsin’s 24–20 road win at Penn State on Saturday, Sept. 26.
The victory moved Wisconsin to 3–1 and handed Penn State its first loss after the Nittany Lions opened 3–0. Dupree’s response helped spark the Badgers’ offense in a marquee Big Ten game.
The win gives Wisconsin’s 3–1 start a Big Ten result to build on, while Dupree’s rebound could shape his offensive role against Michigan State. Wisconsin hosts the Spartans on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Josh Pate’s preseason bracket put Penn State No. 7 in the playoff field, so Wisconsin’s upset win puts pressure on that projection.
The dropped pass now sits beside the fourth-quarter response that could keep Dupree in the conversation for Wisconsin’s offense.
01 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
Wisconsin’s 3–1 start has already reached three-quarters of its 2025 win total, when the Badgers finished 4–8. The Penn State result also supplies half as many Big Ten victories as Wisconsin managed across last season’s 2–7 conference finish. That makes the Oct. 3 Michigan State game more than a chance to feature Dupree: A win would match the entire 2025 victory total in game five.
The schedule then changes shape. After Michigan State, Wisconsin goes to UCLA on Oct. 17, hosts USC on Oct. 24 and visits Iowa on Oct. 31. The Penn State breakthrough has given Wisconsin room to build, but October’s three-game finish will show whether the improved record holds against a sustained Big Ten run.
02 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
How much will Wisconsin use Dupree against Michigan State?
The report does not supply his receiving line or fourth-quarter play count at Penn State, so Michigan State offers the first measurable evidence of whether the response changed his usage. His snap count, targets and receiving line on Oct. 3 will show whether Wisconsin expanded his role after the drop or treated the late contribution as a one-game answer.
Can Wisconsin turn the Penn State win into a larger change from 2025?
A victory on Oct. 3 would give Wisconsin four wins in five games, matching its entire 2025 total before the Oct. 17 trip to UCLA. The answer will become clearer through the Oct. 24 USC game and Oct. 31 visit to Iowa: Wisconsin’s record across that Big Ten run will measure the change after last season’s 2–7 conference finish.